A reflexive verb has a pronoun matching the subject: je me, tu te, il/elle/on se, nous nous, vous vous, ils/elles se. Before a vowel: m', t', s'. Many of them are not reflexive in English.
| type | examples |
|---|---|
| reflexive (you do it to yourself) | se laver, se lever, s'habiller → Je me lève à 7 heures. (I get up at 7.) |
| reciprocal (each other) | se parler, s'aimer, se voir → Ils se téléphonent tous les jours. (They phone each other every day.) |
| own meaning (only exists like this, or changes meaning) | se souvenir de (to remember), s'en aller (to leave), se rendre compte (to realise), se passer (to happen), se trouver (to be located), s'appeler (to be called), se tromper (to be wrong), s'entendre (bien) avec (to get on with) |
| passive meaning | Ça se vend bien. (It sells well.) Ça ne se fait pas. (That's not done.) |
Body parts: French uses the article, not the possessive, because the pronoun already shows whose: Je me lave les mains. (I wash my hands.) Elle s'est cassé la jambe. (She broke her leg.)
Passé composé always with être: Je me suis levé(e). (I got up.) Nous nous sommes trompés. (We were wrong.) Agreement: see "The past participle".
The pronoun changes with the subject, even before an infinitive: Je vais me coucher. (I'm going to bed.) Nous allons nous coucher. (We're going to bed.) Imperative: Assieds-toi ! Asseyez-vous ! (Sit down!) Ne t'inquiète pas ! (Don't worry!)
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